The Southern New Jersey Courier-Post reported this week that veterans were angered and initially taken aback when they learned that almost $25,000 in taxpayer money was being used to help pay Franks's $75,000 speaking fee for an upcoming October 29 appearance in Camden.

Since his withdrawal from the military in 2003, Franks has been on the speaker circuit. A quick check on the web found him giving speeches at the Networked Economy Summit (October 2003), National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (December 2003), American Farm Bureau (December 2003), Los Angeles University of Judaism’s 2004 Public Lecture Series (February 2004), International Futures Industry Conference (March 2004), TechNet International 2004 (May 2004), Bethesda Foundation (May 2004), Florida Forum (October 2004), Independence Bowl Foundation (December 2004), Credit Union National Association Governmental Affairs Conference (February 2005), Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. (August 2005), The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation (September 2005), and the Community Bankers Association of Oklahoma (September 2005). His appearances are open to print press only -- no radio or television -- and tape recorders are not allowed.

In May, the Tampa Bay business journal reported http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/05/16/story1.html that Franks was sharing his artillery expertise by joining the board of directors of Outback Steakhouse, where he is getting $60,000 in cash and stock, as well as $100,000 in restricted stock.

According to Franks's bio http://www.tommyfranks.com/About.shtml and other sources, the General serves on the boards of directors of the National Park Foundation, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Foundation, is an advisor to the Central Command Memorial Foundation and the Military Child Education Coalition. He is Honorary National Chair of the Flight 93 National Memorial fundraising campaign, and a spokesman for the Salute America's Heroes Foundation and the Southeastern Guide Dogs Organization. He isn't running for anything.

Franks, of course, isn't the only beneficiary of the retired military's money circuit. Here are some updates from that front.

Gen. Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will serve with John Ashcroft as keynote speaker at the 2006 Network Centric Warfare Conference http://www.ncw2006.com/ in January, the Institute for Defense & Government Advancement (IDGA) announced October 12.

Myers may have to work on his speaking. When asked last month by the Today Show's Matt Lauer to share a "do-over" he might consider in his time as Chairman, Myers said:

"Well, as you look back at the, at the last four years, if you look at what we've tried to do in Iraq, which I think is, is very important and central to our security and, and peace and stability in that region of the world for that matter, because it's such a simple battlefield for al-Qaeda. The things, as you look back at such a hard task, there's, there's, there's a lot of things as you look back you say, `Well, gee, I wish I'd done this instead of that.'"

I blogged earlier http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/10/busier_than_par.html on retired Gen. Ron Fogleman, surely the king of all cashing in.

Thanks to RM for pointing out that Fogleman was also National Veterans for Bush-Cheney Vice Chair in 2000 and endorsed George Bush for President in 2004.

Recently retired Air Force Gen. John W. Handy has wasted no time joining http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-22-2005/0004113514&EDATE= the board of directors of American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier and American Auto Logistics. He was commander of U.S. Transportation Command.

Retired Adm. Paul David Miller, who retired as chairman of the board of Alliant Techsystems in March, has joined the board of UGS Corp http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-11-2005/0004165584&EDATE=. this month. Miller also is a member of the board of directors of Donaldson Company, Inc., Anteon International Corp., and Teledyne Technologies, Inc.

Former Air Force Gen. Donald G. Cook, who retired on August 1, has joined http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-15-2005/0004108267&EDATE= the board of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation.

Retired Rear Adm. Charles "Bert" Johnston has been appointed http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050907/law080.html?.v=23 vice president, developmental systems for the Aerospace Group of Wyle Laboratories, Inc.

Retired Gen. Lester L. Lyles, former Air Force Vice Chief of Staff and director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in the 1990's, has joined http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2005/10/03/daily7.html the board of NCR Government Systems. He already serves on the board of General Dynamics, MTC Technologies, Inc., DPL Inc. <http://www.bizjournals.com/search/bin/search?q=%22DPL%20Inc%22&t=dayton> and his a "senior adviser" for accounting firm Deloitte and Touche LLP <http://www.bizjournals.com/search/bin/search?q=%22Deloitte%20and%20Touche%20LLP%22&t=dayton>.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Charles S. ("Chuck") Mahan, has become http://finanzen.net/news/news_detail.asp?NewsNr=338388 vice president of homeland security and defense for SAP Public Services, Inc. (September 2005-). Mahan is also on the advisory board of Firefly Energy, Inc.

Retired Rear Adm. Thomas A. Brooks, former Director of Naval Intelligence, has joined http://www.pressreleasenetwork.com/newsroom/news_view.phtml?news_id=1485 the board of NetStar Systems International, Inc. He is also on the board of SAFENET Corporation and is on the President's Council for the National Laboratories at the University of California, a member of the Navy Research Advisory Counsel panel on Future Threats and a member of the Defense Intelligence Agency Advisory Board.

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Richard Wilmot has also joined http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-04-2005/0004159421&EDATE= the board of Mobile Assets Corp. Wilmot is former commandant of the Army Intelligence Center and School.